Conventionally, in a vehicle such as an automobile, there are embedded many control apparatuses (electronic control units or ECUs) for controlling in-vehicle equipment installed in the vehicle. In particular, in order to improve user's comfort and safety of vehicles, a recent vehicle is equipped with, for example, air-conditioning equipment and audio equipment, information equipment such as a navigation system, safety equipment such as a camera and a sensor for obtaining information outside the car, motor-driven equipment such as a power window, a power seat, and a power steering, and other equipment; thus, in order to precisely control these various pieces of in-vehicle equipment, even more control apparatuses are embedded. Further, each control apparatus is equipped with even more input/output terminals to improve function of each control apparatus; thus, it is becoming difficult to appropriately dispose such highly functionalized control apparatuses in a restricted space in the vehicle.
To address these issues, PTLs 1 to 3 disclose a technology which makes the whole of a control apparatus small and light by embedding capacitors in a connector, where the capacitors block or reduce noise and static electricity which are caused by operations of a motor and an injector (fuel injection valve) installed in the vehicle or caused by energization of wires.
In a joint connector with a built-in capacitor disclosed in the PTL 1, a capacitor is electrically connected between a connection part at which a power source side capacitor is connected to a power source side bus bar and a connection part at which an earth side capacitor is connected to an earth side bus bar; and in a connector housing, a positioning member is provided to guide the capacitor to be disposed between the connection parts.
Further, in an electronic equipment apparatus disclosed in PTL 2, a capacitor is attached to a pair of power source connection terminals of the connector, and the pair of power source connection terminals are electrically connected through the capacitor.
Further, in a noise countermeasure connector disclosed in PTL 3, a connector is combined with a feedthrough capacitor formed of a laminated component, wherein the feed through capacitor is made of conductor and dielectric material laminated in a block shape, near the conductor there are provided through holes or notches through each of which each of a plurality of metal terminal of the connector passes, and the feedthrough capacitor has on the outer surface a ground terminal connected to the conductor.